On 29 December 2008, around 1,000 anti-Israel protesters moved towards the Israeli embassy in Parkveien, where speeches were held by people including
Inga Marte Thorkildsen of the
Socialist Left Party. Other organisations behind the demonstration were the
Red Party,
Red Youth (RU),
Socialist Youth (SU) and the
Norwegian People's Aid. The protest turned violent when around 100 youth, mainly
Blitz activists and "young boys" breached police roadblocks and began throwing
Molotov cocktails and
stones at the embassy and the police, striking several police officers, amid rioters heard shouting "
allahu akbar". Gasoline was drawn from nearby cars to set fire to trash bins that were launched against the police. Police responded by firing tear gas at the rioters, and eventually detained nine youths of which four were arrested, including two
asylum seekers. , 10 January 2009 On 8 January, around 200 police officers were stationed out in anticipation of protests as a peaceful pro-Israel rally arranged by organisations such as
With Israel for Peace (MIFF) was to be held outside the Norwegian parliament building, with the
Progress Party leader
Siv Jensen scheduled to give a pro-Israel speech. During Jensen's speech, anti-Israel activists started throwing rocks at the pro-Israel demonstrators, forcing Jensen to leave the podium. The police used tear gas when rioters attacked a bus that tried to evacuate pro-Israeli activists from the area, which included a large number of elderly demonstrators. Among other slogans, protesters shouted "death to the Jews," "kill the Jews" and "slaughter the Jews" in
Arabic. The final count reported forty shop windows to have been smashed in the riots, and several cars and buses damaged, including fifteen police cars. At least six people were reported to have been injured, of which five police officers, one mutilated in the face by an iron rod. Police said they had found several secret stashes of Molotov cocktails, club weapons and knives throughout Oslo during the evening. 37 mainly immigrant-background rioters were detained by the police, of which fifteen were brought into custody, and nine charged with violence against police. that was accused of "supporting"
Israel and attacked by the rioters, 8 January 2009 On 9 and 10 January new anti-Israel demonstrations were arranged by an alliance of several organisations, including the
Workers' Youth League (AUF), Red Party, Red Youth (RU), Socialist Youth (SU), Norwegian People's Aid,
Islamic Association, and other pro-Palestine and Muslim organisations. Blitz stated openly that they supported the violent riots. The protest soon erupted into new riots as fireworks and rocks were thrown at the police and the Israeli embassy, with at least two people injured and several police officers struck by objects. The violence spread throughout Oslo, and numerous shop windows were smashed and cars damaged. Five
McDonald's restaurants were destroyed in the riots because of a false rumor spread by text message that all the money McDonald's earned that day would go to support Israel. Some of the youngest rioters reported to have been told by older youths to "hunt for Jews", with one group severely beating up a shop owner accused of being a Jew. The
Oslo Freemasonry Lodge, which hosted a children's Christmas party with 300 people was deliberately attacked with fireworks after crushing a window open, nearly causing a fire. The police detained 160 rioters during the evening, charging eleven with property damage and violence against police. The police stated that they would investigate all the arrested and that most of them would receive fines of 9,000
NOK (around US$1,300). and less than ten convicted. The Oslo Trade Association called the small number of prosecutions by the police "unacceptable" and "deeply worrying". ==Analysis and aftermath==